Japanese

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Etymology

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Contraction of ()()(わる) (kimochi warui, disgusting).[1]

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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キモい or きもい (kimoi-i (adverbial キモく (kimoku))

  1. (slang) gross, disgusting, repulsive
    • 2015, Ogawa Saya, Josei shain kara ‘kimoi’ to iwarenai hataraki-kata [How to work without being called ‘kimoi’ by women employees], Impress QuickBooks:
      「もしかしたら、(おれ)かも…」って(おも)ったアナタ、そう、アナタのことです。()(かく)してたところで、キモいことのエクスキューズにはならないですから。
      “Moshi ka shitara, ore ka mo…” tte omotta anata, sō, anata no koto desu. Jikaku shite ta tokoro de, kimoi koto no ekusukyūzu ni wa naranai desu kara.
      You who thought, “Maybe it could be me...” yes, it's you. Even if you were self-aware, that doesn’t excuse being gross.
  2. (slang) cringeworthy, weird

Inflection

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Interjection

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キモい (kimoi

  1. yuck, ew
    • 2018 March 14, “Kimoi to iwareru hito no 12-ko no tokuchō [Twelve characteristics of people who get called kimoi]”, in Seikatsu Hyakka[1], archived from the original on 11 July 2017:
      (わたし)は、(げい)(にん)()(わら)いながらよく「キモーーい」って()っていたり、はたまた(じょう)(ほう)(ばん)(ぐみ)(へん)(しつ)(しゃ)のニュースなどを()ていても「キモい!!」と(いか)りながら()っていたりします。
      Watashi wa, geinin o mite warainagara yoku “kimōoi”tte itte itari, hatamata jōhō bangumi de henshitsusha no nyūsu nado o mite ite mo “kimoi!!” to ikarinagara itte itari shimasu.
      For me, I often say “ewww” while laughing at an entertainer, and watching a broadcast with news about some pervert, I angrily say, “ew!!”

References

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  1. ^ Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN